Warehouse gang-plank



(No Model.)

- L. KUCKARTZ.

WAREHOUSB GANG PLANK.

Pa te nte Aug. 1, 1893.

. k m %a V /?7 AW? w m@ w V ATTOHNEYS.

the character ndicated, which will be adapt- ICE@ ATENT LONARD KICKARTZ, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

WAREHOUSE GANG-PLAN K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patents No. 502,568, dated August 1, 1893.

Application filed April 17,1893.

To aZZ whom it may oonoorn:

Be it known that LLONARD KUCKARTZ, of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon,have invented a new and use fulImprovement in Wareho use Gang-Planks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in gang planks that are provided to aftord a removable gangway from a warehouse to a car, or the reverse; and has for its objects to provide a novel, simple and practical device of ed for easy stowage below the floor of the warehouse, be convenient for an extension therefrom and adjustment for service, and also be adjustable in its parts, to suit cars the floors of which vary in height with regard to the floor of the warehouse having the improvement..

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, fo'rming a part of this specifieation, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side View in section, of the improvement extended from a warehouse to a ear. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device and a warehouse floor in part, on' the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlargecl side view of an end portion of the improvement, removably engaged with a car in part. Fig. 4 is a side view of the gang plank end portion represented in Fig. 3, difierently engaged with a car portion, shown by dotted lines. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan View of aportion of the improved gang plank; and Fig. 6 is a side View of a warehouse in part, and a portion of the improvement in place thereon.

The improved gang plank A comprises a' strong reetangular frame structure of a suitable length and width, its dimensions being proportioned to conform with the requirements of the location and service to be afforded by it. Preferably the gang plank A is constructed with two wooden strips a of equal size, their length representing that of the structure they are members of. A series of transverse tread boards b is secured upon the strips aby their ends, and maybe spaced Serial No. 470.663. (No model.)

apart slightly to permit dirt to fall between them and also to lighten the gang plank, a suffleient number of the pieces b being provided to aitord a flooring for the gang frame or plank,as the device is technieallytermed. lt is part of the improvement to provide means for the quick and easy stowage of the ga'ng plank A below the floor B' of a warehouse B, which floor is to be sustained horizontally at a proper elevation above the ground whereon the warehouse is erected.

As before indicated, the improvement is specially adapted for use as a movable platform between a warehouse such as B, and a car C, that is located on a track parallel with and comparatively near to the side or end of the warehouse, the gang plank A being designed to bridge the gap between the floor of the warehouse and the floor of the car, eX- tending from or through open doors, so as to provide a stable, temporary avenue for the transfer' of freight between the car and house. An aperture c of reetangular form is cut below the sill of the door opening B in the warehouse B, this aperture extending horizontally between two of the joists d that support the floor B'. A pair of similar shat'is e, e' are journaled by their end portions in the joists d parallel with and at a proper distance from each other, the shaft e being located near the doorway, as shown in Fig. 1. These shafts have rollers g secured upon them at points which will permit the strips a of the gang plank A to rest upon the rollers when said device is slid through the aperture o, the distance between the floor B' and rollers allowing the plank structure to be freely inserted and traverse said space, so as to locate it completely below the floor when this is desired, the strips a then having a support on the rollers of both ofthe shafts e, e', thus sustaining the gang plank in a horizontal position. The transverse boards b are stiffened near their long'itudinal centers by the strip a' that is thereto Secured on their lower sides, which strip extends from end to end of the gang plank.

At the transverse center and rear end of the gang plank an auti-friction roller h is journaled or otherwise supported to rotate, the periphery of which roller is adapted to have a rolling engagement with thelower surface of the floor B' when thegang plank A is drawn outwardly, thereby obviating a frictional contact of the inner end ofsaid structure with the floor while it is being outwardly proj ected.

It is an advantage to construct the gang plank of such a proportionate length that a considerable portion will remain within the cavity below the floor B' when there has been an extension of the part A, effected to form a bridge between the warehouse floor-B' and ear floor C', and thus afford a counterbalance for the projected portion which aids in the manipulation of the gang plank to adjust it for service.

When the improved gang plank A is drawn outwardly to connect its outer end with a car such as C, at its side door opening, if said car is furnished With a horizontal longitudinally extending guide bar z', as usual, for the lateral support of the sliding door 0 of the car, the hook plates m that are attached to the lower face of the gang plank near each side edge, are made to interlock their depending lips with the guide bar, as represented in Fig. 3, and as said bar is placed a short distance below the floor C' of the car, it will be seen that the upper surface of the gang plank may lie nearly in the same plane with the fioor O'. The outer end portions of the side pieces a are preferably sloped on their upper sides, and thus adapted to receive the apron n,which is correspondngly sloped on the lower surface so that when in place on the pieces a, the top of the apron named, will align with the upper surface of the gang plank, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The apron n is hinged upon the upper corner of the gang plank A by the adjacent transverse edge of its sloped face, so that it may be imposed upon the inclined face of the gang plak as indicated by full lines in Fig. 4, or be outwardly folded as shown by dotted lines in said figure, thereby aifording a continuation of the sloped top face of the gang plank, so that when the latter is laid directly upon the floor C' of the car, there will be an inclined plane provided at this terminal of the gang plank which Will facilitate the rolling of a loaded truck from the car to the plank, and the reverse. The sloped faces of the strips a at the outer end of the gang plank A, are preferably covered by a secured netal plate a' of sufficient thickness to sustain any weight that may be transferred along said gang plank, and the inclined face of the apron n is, in a like manner, protected by a similar plate as shown in Fig. 4.

It may occur that when the gang plank A has its outer end supported upon the guide bar 'i of the car the relative position of said bar may be such as will dispose the upper surface of the gang plank above the floor of the car; in such a case, the fiap plate o, which is hinged by one edge to the nornally upper edge of the apron a, will be of service to produce an inclined extension from the edge of the apron to the floor O', as shown in Fig. 3. As the gang plank A, when drawn out for service, is located somewhat below the floor B'ofthe warehouse, there is an apron 19 hinged by one of its side edges to thesll of the warehouse door opening B so thatt may hang pendent over the aperture c and be secured in such a position by a lock 13' or other means, or the apron may be outwardly projected so as to form a slightlyinclned extension from the door-sill, resting its outer end upon the gang plank, thereby aft'ordmg a smooth track for a truck or the rollng of barrels upon the gang plank and into the warehouse, or out of the latter to transfer such heavy articles into a car that the gang plank A is in connection with.

It will be seen that by the provison of the improved gang plank, there is a substantial temporary bridge afforded that wll be adj ustable for different heights of car fioors, that may be extended more or less as occasion may require, and which, when not in use, can be safely housed out of the way and n a con- Venient manner for a quick adjustment for renewed service.

It is evident that the gang plank A may be utilized for the transfer of goods from the ground to the elevated floor of the warehouse when this is needed, or for a movement of heavy articles from the warehouse nto a wagon or the reverse, if this be desred.

Having thus fully described my inventon, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A gang plank,comprising a framed structure sloped on its top edges at one end, a wedge shaped apron hinged thereto, and a fiap plate hinged to said apron and which may be outwardly folded to form a longitudinal etension for the apron, snbstantially as described.

2. A gang plank, comprising a framed structure, sloped at one end, a sloped apron hinged thereto and adapted to fold on the sloped face and render the frame edges parallel at their sloped ends and also adapted to fold away from the end of the frame and provide an eX- tens'on therefor, substantially as described.

3. Agan g plank, comprisin g a framed structure, sloped on top at one end, a facing plate secured on said sloped surface, and a slope faced apron hinged to the sloped end of the frame structure, that when folded thereon affords a level top fot-the sloped edges of the frame, and when extended provides acontinuous longitudinally extended sloped surface therefor, substantially as described.

4. In a gang plank, the conbination with a frame structure sloped on top at one end, and hooks below thereon at said end, of a slope faced apron hinged by one edge to the sloped end of the frame and adapted to fold and render the frame level on top at said frane end, or be extended from the frame and afford a continued sloped face therefor, substantially as described.

5. In a gang plank, the combination with a rectangular framed structure sloped at one IOO IIO

end on its top face, of a siope faced apron hinged thereto at said end, a faoing plate on the slope face of the frame, a faoing plate on the sloped face of the apron, and books on the frame end below said apron,'substantia11y as described.

6. The combination with rollers on shafts jou'naled in timbers of a building below its floor, of a gang plank adapted to travel on IO said roliers through an aperture in the building wall, and an apron hinged above the aperture to said wall and adapted to rest on the extended gang plank when said gang piank is extended and form a part of the top sul'- face thereof, substantially as desorbed.

E. A. RoBERTsoN, ALBART WENDEL. 

